Method of pumping wells



Feb. 2 3 1926.

G. A. MACREADY METHOD OF PUMPING WELLS 1 I e r c y L,

- Filed Jan. 23, 1925 Patented Feb. 23, 1926.

UNITED vSTATE LSMAQS GEORGE A. MACREADY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

METHOD or reinante WELLS.

Application filed January To all 'Lc/tom t mal/y concern: y

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. MAC- RnADr, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of Pumping Wells, of which the following` is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in methods for pumping wells.

1t is an object of the invention to provide an improved method for pumping wells, such as oil wells, in which the pump disposed within the well has a very few moving parts so that the wear upon these parts is practically negligible.

A further objectr of the invention is to provide an improved method for pumping wells which consists essentially of allowing the fluid or liquid within the well to enter a chamber, forcing compressed gas into the chamber so as to expel the liquid from the chamber' upwardly within the well, and to provide means which, upon releasing the gas in the chamber so as to allow the chamber to refill, will preserve the pressure of the gas as it is released, thereby increasing materially the efficiency of the pump.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which willv be made manifest in the following detailed description and pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the well showing the upper portion of the pump employing the improved method in itsoperation; v

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the lower portion of the pump.; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section illustrating a `detail of construction. v

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference character designate similar parts throughout, the welly casing 10 is lowered into the well hole and is perforated at 11 to provide an oil or liquid screen. A pump tube 12 is lowered into the well within the well casing 10 and extends downwardly and has its lower end submerged in the liquid within the well. Adjacent the bottom of the pump tube 12, there is formed a tapered seat 13 and at a suitable distance above the tapered sea-t 13I there is formed `a second tapered seat 14;. The

23, 1925. Serial No. 4,217.

smallest diameter of the second tapered seat` 14 is preferably greater than the largest diameter of the tapered seat 18. When the pump tube 12 has been lowered into the well, a pipe 15 is lowered therein, to which is secured a tapered closure member 16 adapted to seat upon the tapered seat 14. A

pipe 17 is secured to the closure member 16 check valves 22, similar tothe ball check A The lower vend of the pipe 19 carries a pair of ball valves 20, and ina similar manner one ofv y these check valves may be employed alone,

if so desired.

Thelower end of the pipe'19 carries a closure member 28. The closure members 16 and 23 form a top and bottom for the chamber 24- therebydefined within the pump tube 12. The upper end ofthe tube 15 is connected to asuitable fitting, indicated at 25. Into this fitting air yor gas under pressure maybe discharged through the pipe 26 when the valve 27 is opened. A plurality of valves 28, 29, 30 and 31 also control openings communicating with the fitting 25. A pipe 32 extends downwardly within the pump tube 12 and compressed air or gas is adapted to be discharged into this pipe through a .pipe 33. An annular float 84C, which maybe of wood or any other suitable buoyant material, is disposed about the pipe i section 19 and carries a sleeve 35. This float 34 is adapted to fall within the chamber 211 about the `pipe section 19,- and upon falling low enough the sleeve 35 `will cover and effectively seal the apertures 21.

The operation ofthe pump is as-fellows: When the chamber .24 is lowered into the well so as to be submerged within the liquid in the bottom of the well, the liquidl in the well, because of its own static head, forces itself upwardly within the pipe section 19 past the ball check valves 22. The liquid then passes into the chamber 24 through the apertures 21, the iioatBA rising with ther'ise of the liquid within the chamber 24.. When the chamber has become filled, or partially' filled, the valve 27 is opened and compressed air or vgas is forced downwardly within the tube and into the chamber 24. This forces the liquid L back yinto the pipe section 19 through the apertures 21. As the ball check valves 22 have closed, the liquid is forced upwardly past the ball check valves and is discharged from the pipe section 17 through the closurel member 16 into the pump tube 12 above the closure member 16. The pipe 32 may be used or may bedispensed with. Then used, gas or compressed air is forced therethrough into the liquid above the closure member 16. This pipe 32 tends to provide an air lift for lifting the liquid within the pump tube 12. 1f the pipe 32 is dispensed with, the expelling of the liquid L from the chamber 24 causes the liquid to rise within the pump tube and to be discharged therefrom through a passage 36. As the liquid L is forced out of the chamber 24, the float 34 falls and when the liquid L is practically completely expelled from the chamber 24, the sleeve 35 closes the apertures 21, so that the gas or compressed air within the chamber 24 will not escape therethrough. When the liquid L has been expelled from the chamber 24, the gas pressure or air pres '1 apertures 21, and the process of .expelling the liquid from the chamber 24 is repeated.

A feature of the invention resides in preserving the gas pressure developed within the chamber 24 upon the release of this pressure. The pressure for operating` the pump is preferably derived from a multi-stage air compressor. The valve 28 opens the passage from the fitting 25 to one of the inter-coolers of the air compressors. Preferably the valve 28 allows the gas or air from the chamber 24 tordischarge into that inter-cooler between the third andhighest or last stage of the compressor. In a similar manner, the valve 29 may allow the gas or air to be discharged intoA the inter-cooler between the second and third stages ofthe compressor. The valve 30 may allow the air or gas to discharge into the inter-cooler betweenthe first and second stages, and the valve 31 will allow the gas to be discharged into the air if desired. In

this manner it is not necessary to pump up the gas after having been released from the chamber 24 clear from atmospheric pressure. For example: Suppose that the pressure developed within the chamber 24 is 2000 lbs. Upon release of this gas, the gas is discharged past the valve 28 into the intercooler until the pressure within the chamber 24 is about 1500 lbs. This valve is then elosed'and the valve 29 opened, and the release of the gas takes place until the pressure is reduced to 1000 lbs. The valve 30 is then opened, closing the valve 29 and the pressure is released into the inter-cooler of the compressor until the gas pressure has been reduced to 500 lbs. The valve 31 then opens and reduces the gas pressure within the chamber 24 until the pressure reaches atmospheric pressure, permitting the liquid in the well to refill the chamber. The valves 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 may be operated as by cams 37, which are mounted upon a spindle 38.

From the above it is seen that the improved method of pumping wells consists of submerging a chamber into the bottom of the well, allowing it to fill with the well fiuid, forcing` a gas into the chamber so as to expel the fiuid upwardly within the well, releasing the gas, allowing the chamber to refill, and repeating. The improved method also consists of releasing the gas successively into a plurality of chambers or containers, whichcontainers have successively decreasing pressures.

The closure members 16 and 23 may be withdrawn from the well for repair purposes by merely lifting up the tube 15. The closure member 23 may readily pass through the seat 14. As the distance between the seats 14 and V13 may be 200 or 300 feet, the extension joint 13 is provided between the pipes 17 and 19 so that the closure members 16 and 23 may ,properly seat themselves upon their respective -seats without difiiculty.

The details ofthe operation of the float 34 with the sleeve 35 are illustrated in As shown in this figure, the pipe or conduit 19. has provided thereon a shoulder indicated at 40, which may be in the form of a Vcoupling upon the pipe.- The sleeve 35 is of such diameter that the interior surface of the sleeve is held in spaced relation to the exterior surface of the parts forming the conduit or pipe 19 in which the check valves 20 and 22 are mounted. The lower end of the fioat 34 is provided with inclined surfaces 41 disposed above the shoulder 40. The lower en d of the sleeve 35 is provided with a thickened portion 42 which has a tight, yet sliding, iit about the pipe 19. TWhen the float is in its lowermost positiomcovering the apertures 21, and it is desired to refill the chamber 34. the liquid is .forced from the well upwardly through the apertured pipe and is discharged through the apertures into the chamber 43 provided within the sleeve As the exposed surface upon the lower side of the float 34 is greater than the exposed surface upon the upper side of the thickened portion 42, the pressure developed Within the chamber 43 creates a resultant force which lifts the float 34 and the sleeve 35 so as to uncover the lower apertures. rlhe liquid may then be discharged into the chamber .)fl and as it rises Within the chamber, thc buoyancy ol the float 34 Will lift the sleeve 35.

It will be understood that various changes in the detail of construction may be made without departing from the spirit or scope olf the invention as deined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In amethod for pumping Wells, that step which consists of releasing compressed air or gas from the pumpby discharging it successively into a plurality of containers of successively decreasing pressures.

2. The method of pumping liquid from wells which consists of operating a pump in the well by means oi a compressed gas, and releasing the gas successively into containers at the surface at successively decreasing pressures.

The method of pumping liquid from wells which consists of operating a pump in the well by means of a compressed gas, re-

'discharging the exhaust gas from the pump successively into the diierent stages of the compressor plant at successively decreasing pressures.

5. The method of pumpingliquid from Wells Which consists of operating a pump in the Well by means of a compresed gas, and releasing the exhaust gas from ,the pump successively into the inter-coolers of the compressor plant at successively decreasing pressures.

In testimony whereof I have signed .my name to this specification.

GEORGE A. MACREADY. 

